Chapter 23: This Girl Is Mine!
"Right. I'm hungry. Time to eat."
Menchi decided to ignore the self-proclaimed 20-year-old. She drew a paring knife from a sheath on her back, spun it deftly in her fingers, and grinned. "I'll go find us something."
Seeing her brandish the knife, Butch (the tiger) nervously circled around to hide behind Kai.
Kai, in turn, pointed a finger at his own head, then gestured back toward East Town, as if to say, Are you crazy? If you're hungry, go to a restaurant. Why are you hunting?
"You're the one training in the middle of nowhere!" Menchi shot back. "I'm the one who should be weirded out. You can train Nen just fine in a hotel room. Why are you all the way out here?"
"My hotel room is too small," Kai said. "And why are you so relaxed? At your age, with your Nen still a complete mess, how can you even sleep? If I were you, I'd be training all night until I figured out my Hatsu—"
"I'm getting food!" Menchi huffed, and ran off into the woods with her knife.
"It's not even noon! I, Kai, would rather die of exhaustion than eat lunch before lunchtime!" Kai yelled after her. He crossed his arms, then turned to the quiet Ginta. Ginta just stared back.
The silence was a little awkward.
It was broken by a familiar sensation. A wisp of "Death Aura" entered Kai's heart. Then another. And a third.
Kai kept his expression flat. He'd calculated that any "significant" life-form (anything bigger than a microbe) dying within a one-kilometer radius would send its Aura into his heart, where it would vanish.
Before, a single wisp would have caused a phantom pain. But this time, Menchi had killed three animals, and Kai barely felt it.
Maybe he was getting stronger. Or maybe his heart just wasn't "full" yet. Or maybe... there was no logic to it at all.
"...This is it? This isn't enough!"
Kai spat out a small bone. Ginta was right: Menchi's cooking was incredible. She'd taken a few simple animals and, with barely any seasonings, had roasted them into something so delicious you'd want to swallow your own tongue.
"That's what you get for giving half of it to your tiger," Menchi said smugly.
Ginta finished his portion and wiped his mouth. He looked at Butch, who was tearing into his own share of the roast. "A true Hunter is often loved by animals. That's why poachers... just seeing them is disgusting."
Kai stroked Butch's head. "Why do they call them 'Tragic Moon Tigers'? That's a pretty dark name."
Ginta said, "Their scientific name is 'Jade Moon Tiger' (Bi Yue Hu), named for their fur patterns that glow under the moonlight. That glow is one of the Seven Great Beauties of the world, which is why they are 'favored' by collectors and poachers. Over time, as their numbers dwindled... people started calling them 'Tragic Moon Tigers' (Can Yue Hu)."
"...So it's literally just 'tragic'?" Kai asked. He then changed the subject. "You said this island just appeared 24 years ago. You think a Nen user did it? Who's strong enough for that?"
Ginta nodded. "Whether it was Nen... we don't know. Kakin has put so much pressure on the investigation that no one has ever been able to do a full survey. The event made huge news at the time, but both governments buried it fast. It's so far off the grid that you can't even find records of it online anymore."
"Twenty-four years ago, this island appeared. It was populated with Pale Moon Tigers, which are native only to Kakin. Kakin immediately protested, accusing the Ochima Federation of illegally occupying their territory..."
"Twenty-four years ago, on May 5th, 1970, a portion of the Kavia region within the Kakin Kingdom was moved by unknown means, adjoining the land border of the Ochima Federation..."
At that same moment, in the Blanchett Company's HQ, the reserve director was reading a file to Sloe. "...For 13 years, the two nations disputed the ownership of what is now Ghost Soul Island. In 1983, a truce was called, and a third party, the Fokweiman Research Institute, was brought in to manage the endangered species...
"...In 1990, the Blanchett Company acquired Fokweiman and has managed the reserve, and its tourism, ever since."
The director closed the file, his face a mask. "So, according to the contract we inherited, the Ochima Federation has no right to conduct any research here without the express permission of the Kakin Kingdom. Therefore, Mr. Sloe," he glanced at Kanzai, who looked like his brain was melting, "I must deny your request."
Sloe just smiled. "I already told you, Kakin has agreed to our investigation."
The director replied, "My information states that the Kakin government has heard nothing of the sort."
"The promise was made by First Prince Benjamin Hui Guo Rou."
"The First Prince is not the King. His verbal promise has no legal standing."
"I, personally, think the Prince has a bright future. I hear King Nasubi thinks very highly of his eldest son."
"That is a Kakin royal family matter. I have no comment."
"I also hear," Sloe said casually, "that the legendary tomb of the Ancient Kakin King is on this island?"
"...I have never heard such a rumor," the director said, his expression unchanged.
Sloe, seeing the hook hadn't set, leaned back and sipped his tea. "Your company has managed this island for almost five years, and you've never conducted a deep investigation? I find that hard to believe. If it were me, I'd have torn this place apart on day one. An ancient tomb... that's been the rumor for years, hasn't it?"
The director's voice hardened. "I will repeat: we acquired a failing institute out of a sense of public duty. We are here to protect the tigers. We know nothing of a tomb. If you do not have official papers, please leave."
Sloe just sat there, perfectly content to waste the man's time. He knew Ochima was putting political pressure on the First Prince to make his promise official. In the meantime, his freelance Hunters were already in the reserve.
Kanzai, bored to tears, leaned over to an aide. "Who's this 'Ancient King'? Is he famous?"
"You... you really don't know?" the aide whispered, shocked. "He was the legendary king who almost united the entire Azian continent... He's in all the textbooks."
"Eh, sounds complicated," Kanzai said, tuning out.
The aide fought the urge to scream. Then why did you ask, you illiterate moron!
"Where are all the tigers? I haven't seen a single one..."
In the outer reserve, Shizuku sat down under a tree.
Flap, flap... Two large, crow-like birds landed on the branch above her, peering down.
Shizuku held up her hand, and with a soft pop, a strange, cartoonish vacuum cleaner appeared.
"It's her Hatsu!" 'Kai-Crow' thought, instantly recognizing it. "The Conjuration ability, Blinky!"
He knew its power. It could suck up any non-living object Shizuku designated. She herself didn't even know where the items went.
Shizuku, unaware of the analysis happening above her, spoke to the vacuum. "Blinky, bread."
Ptoof! Blinky's "mouth" spat out a pile of freshly wrapped bread.
She ate a few pieces, then got thirsty. "Blinky, water."
Ptoof! A bottle of water, still cold, popped out.
As she tilted her head back to drink, she finally saw the two birds on the branch, staring at her with an unsettling... intelligence.
In fact, both "birds" were sharing the exact same thought:
"That is the SINGLE greatest travel hack in the world. This girl... she's mine!"
"...'She's yours'?!"
Menchi's panicked voice snapped Kai out of his shared consciousness.
She had her knife out again, holding it defensively. "Look, I don't care if you're '20'! You look like that, and... I just can't! Kai, right? Don't get any weird ideas! It's impossible!"
Kai was speechless. Finally, he just deadpanned: "You've got short hair and a short fuse. What's wrong with how I look? I've met an old hag who's over fifty and still runs around pretending to be a cutesy little girl! Sheesh..."